The only things that mean anything
In my opinion, nothing is worthwhile; everything is futile. For what does a man get for all his hard work?
I am convinced that the best thing any man can do is to live a simple life, serve God, and take joy in the gifts he receives by God’s grace, especially the people whom God gave him to love and take care of.
I became convinced of this because I made the mistake of trying to live otherwise, by chasing Earthly things that have no eternal value. These Earthly things I’m talking about are things like: riches, recognition, achievements – e.g. being world champion at something, business success, etc.
I had to learn the hard way to get to the same conclusion as Solomon.
I discovered that the lot of man, which God has dealt to him, is not a happy one. It is all foolishness, chasing the wind.
My efforts and drive to achieve resulted in a lot of Earthly success and a little bit of temporary joy. Unfortunately, because my priorities were wrong, it also caused a lot of unhappiness and hurt for me and the people I loved most.
The only good of Earthly things
I can think of only three good things that can come from Earthly achievements:
- pleasure in the pursuit,
- validation of manhood, and
- the realization that I’m writing about here – that Earthly achievements and successes are essentially meaningless.
A big reason why I was chasing Earthy success was for validation – to feel like a man. The irony is that through much of my chase for validation, I was neglecting the most important thing a man should do – to love and take care of those whom God gave to me!
I still think it is important for a man to find his validation. However, he should try to find it before committing himself to a serious relationship with a woman, and especially before becoming a husband or a father.
The most valuable is the last point – to realize that Earthly success is meaningless, and to discover the only things that really matter.
Things that matter
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: Love you neighbor as much as you love yourself.
To me this sums up the purpose of all mankind. To bring glory to God through the lives we live, and to love and take care of the people whom God gives to us, and others He sends across our path.
In the end how your life brings glory to God, and how you loved those around you is all that matters. It dwarfs any other Earthly achievements, any possessions, and any amount of money.
This is what defines a real man, and it is the true answer to happiness and fulfillment.
July 14th, 2008 at 08:46 pm
Sounds like you are on the right track to me! Great post Francois. Sometimes we have to go through all the other stuff to help us realize where we truly need to be. We are meant to go through trials and suffering. Those things make us who we are. These things build our character, our faith, our endurance. I know I sound like a broken reocrd on this, but everything DOES have a purpose under heaven.
July 15th, 2008 at 03:44 am
right on brother!
July 16th, 2008 at 05:57 pm
this is good stuff, man
July 17th, 2008 at 05:35 pm
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July 23rd, 2008 at 01:18 am
While I may not agree with your concept of God and ones relationship to him being the “purpose of mankind”, I still enjoyed your articles.
Your phrasing makes it clear that this is your validation and I can only be happy you seem to have found a positive path for yourself. It gives me inspiration that I will find my way at a time where I have chosen to throw out a lot of what wasn’t working for me.
July 26th, 2008 at 06:44 pm
[...] the things that are really important. Crave [...]
August 8th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
[...] I won’t be staying here for very long. Probably a few months, perhaps a year. I also don’t yet know where I’ll be going next, but I do know the most important things in life. [...]
September 1st, 2008 at 01:36 pm
Thank you for this website Amazingly very relevant. Thank God that people like you are out there….